Kirk Cousins is having an MVP season

[Pondering Her Percy]

Another good point.

How many picks have been dropped by CBs this year? And wasn't our guy bailed out by a horrendous roughing the passer call on an INT of his?

It goes both ways.

I really dont think many were "dropped" at all by CBs from what I can remember but ok

[Fat Stupid Loser]

Another good point.

How many picks have been dropped by CBs this year? And wasn't our guy bailed out by a horrendous roughing the passer call on an INT of his?

It goes both ways.

The roughing call was bad but he was getting hit while throwing it, thus the interception.

[Pondering Her Percy]

Exactly. And Rodgers isnt having his best year that's for sure. There isnt a QB out there that can "do it all" for their team. StumpHunter you are narrowing everything down to being on Cousins shoulders. And because he didnt beat the Rams, Packers, Bills and Saints, he isnt worth $84 million. Every loss, every win you're putting on Cousins. That's just simply not how it works

Aaron Rodgers of all QB's. "The best QB in the game" (which I dont believe), is 3-4-1. Are you going to sit there and say he isnt worth his contract either? And dont bother going down the line of his past years. This guy is crowned the best QB in the game and has been to and won ONE superbowl in 13 seasons. And this is his 14th and I can guarantee they wont be in the SB. How does that define him as the best? Tom Brady walks all over him. But if you want to say that Cousins doesnt deserve that contract, how does Aaron Rodgers when his team is 3-4-1? Your argument doesnt add up.

Contracts arent given out to QBs based on wins/losses. It's based on overall talent. What has Matt Ryan won? Matt Stafford? Jimmy G? Derek Carr? Andrew Luck? Cam Newton? Andy Dalton? Alex Smith? Because all of those QB are the ones making the most money over their entire span of their contract. That right there proves, contracts arent based on winning and losing. Matt Stafford and Derek Carr have been FAR from winners since they've been in the league.

Cousins contract was based on the market. A QB of Cousins caliber hardly EVER hits FA. And when you have a need there and have the money to give, you pull the trigger. Not settle for "Teddy and a solid backup". Again, Kirk Cousins is the only reason we were in games with the Rams and Packers both on the road. Keenum, Bridgewater or Bradford arent going toe to toe with the Rams or coming back from a deficit and taking the Packers to OT solely by themselves. And that's what Cousins did. Special teams and defense are what lost us those games. Not Kirk Cousins.

But I sure hope you dont give me some excuse as to why Aaron Rodgers is 3-4-1 but deserves the "best in the game" title. Blame it on their defense? Well ours was playing below average early on too. Blame it on the OL? Well ours sucks too. Blame it on their running game? We didnt have a running game the first 5 games of the year. Since week 5 we have gone 4-1 and the one loss, was drastically derailed by one play, Thielens fumble. The pick 6 didnt help but Thielen not fumbling and us getting a TD there gives us a 20-10 lead going into half getting the ball back. TOTALLY different game and TOTALLY different game plan coming out of the half. Chances are that pick 6 doesnt even happen.

Kirk Cousins is playing at a pro bowl level right now. So the last thing anyone should be doing is complaining. This team is now starting to hit their stride. We are now 6th in total defense. 11th against the pass. 4th against the run. Our offense is 12th in total offense. 8th best passing offense and 29th in run offense (a spot we were dead last in and have turned it around in recent weeks and now getting our starter back).

Rogers is actually on a bad team. The Vikings were 13-3 last year and didn't lose anyone of significance outside of QB. They actually should have improved with Richardson and Cook coming back. Not to mention the 84 million dollar QB they signed. Instead they are worse on offense and lost to Buffalo.

Rogers makes that much because teams stupidly pay QB's like Stafford a ton of money to lose football games. You do what you have to to keep him, but even he hasn't been able to carry a team that has to shoulder his pay check to a SB. Have they been back since his big payday? The Pats have a huge advantage with Brady, a QB who would rather win than make bank. Honestly, Brady's willingness to take a pay cut should be all the argument I need. If even he thinks winning the SB with the GOAT QB making a large chunk of the cap is difficult, what does that tell you?

Cousins is playing a pro-bowl level on a team that had Case Keenum playing at a pro-bowl level. It isn't his fault the team he came too was great, I get that, but to be worth the contract, he needs to make the team better, not just the QB position. So far he has not.

He might by the end of the season, but the fact people are claiming he already has earned the contract tells me those people are blinded by purple sunglasses. There isn't a one of you who would have said the signing would be a success if the QB put up great stats while the team lost more and the offense got worse, before the signing occurred. Now that he is here and hasn't improved the team (yet), that bar has been lowered.

Again how is the offense "worse"? Our passing offense is actually better than last years. Numbers wise and our WRs are having much better years. No less Kirk actually spreads the ball around and throws to guys like Treadwell, Robinson, Bebee, etc. Something Keenum did not do. Not having a running game isnt because of Kirk Cousins. Dalvin having a hamstring injury isnt because of Kirk Cousins. The OL being worse than last year isnt because of Kirk Cousins. Kirk Cousins isnt our RB.

Case Keenum also played a schedule of duds last year. Our division consisted of a Rodger-less Packers team, a terrible Bears team and the Lions (who are the same Lions year in and year out). If that was the case this year, Cousins would walk through this division. Just like Keenum did last year. Keenum also had the #1 defense in football out there for him. Something else Cousins didnt get.

This isnt the same team. You say having Richardson and Cook back we should be better. Cook was out most of the year. So what are you proving there? He's played in two full games this year and we've won both (SF, DET). This defense, especially in the beginning of the year when we were 1-2-1, was playing way worse than it ever was last year and we also had terrible ST that cost us a win. Since then, we have gone 4-1.

Kirk Cousins is not making the "team" worse in any way. He cant play defense. He cant kick field goals. It still baffles me that you throw the LA game on Cousins. That is easily one of the most laughable things I've ever heard on this board.

Nobody is blinded by purple sunglasses. It's just everyone can see talent when it's sitting there in front of them. Clearly you have trouble doing that if you think "Teddy Bridgewater and a solid backup" would get this team to a SB. The fact that you think that would be a better solution than Cousins doesnt help your argument in any way, shape or form.

You have yet to give any sort of solution other than "Bridgewater and a solid backup". If that's what you truly think, I really dont know what to tell you other than, you're never going to win this argument on here. Ever. If you think Keenum would have been better, what is happening in Denver should easily tell you that wouldnt be the case. So if you dont think Cousins deserved the money and wasnt the answer, who in gods name do you think would have gotten us to a SB or a "better record" heading into the bye? Ill grab the popcorn and wait for that response If you dont have an answer to that, then you have no argument and this conversation is done.

[Pondering Her Percy]

How many picks have been dropped by CBs this year? And wasn't our guy bailed out by a horrendous roughing the passer call on an INT of his?

It goes both ways.

The roughing call was bad but he was getting hit while throwing it, thus the interception.

When hasnt he been hit when throwing? It's been a constant thing and he's still playing great. He's been hit A LOT more than Keenum ever was. But it doesnt matter, Kirk's record needs to be better than Keenums to justify the money supposedly. Kirk should have drafted a better OL, told Dalvin not to pull his hammy, call defensive plays so we could beat the Rams and kick the game winning FG to beat the Packers. By him failing to do those things, he's totally not worth $84 million because our 5-3-1 record is solely on Kirk Cousins.

[StumpHunter]

Rogers is actually on a bad team. The Vikings were 13-3 last year and didn't lose anyone of significance outside of QB. They actually should have improved with Richardson and Cook coming back. Not to mention the 84 million dollar QB they signed. Instead they are worse on offense and lost to Buffalo.

Rogers makes that much because teams stupidly pay QB's like Stafford a ton of money to lose football games. You do what you have to to keep him, but even he hasn't been able to carry a team that has to shoulder his pay check to a SB. Have they been back since his big payday? The Pats have a huge advantage with Brady, a QB who would rather win than make bank. Honestly, Brady's willingness to take a pay cut should be all the argument I need. If even he thinks winning the SB with the GOAT QB making a large chunk of the cap is difficult, what does that tell you?

Cousins is playing a pro-bowl level on a team that had Case Keenum playing at a pro-bowl level. It isn't his fault the team he came too was great, I get that, but to be worth the contract, he needs to make the team better, not just the QB position. So far he has not.

He might by the end of the season, but the fact people are claiming he already has earned the contract tells me those people are blinded by purple sunglasses. There isn't a one of you who would have said the signing would be a success if the QB put up great stats while the team lost more and the offense got worse, before the signing occurred. Now that he is here and hasn't improved the team (yet), that bar has been lowered.

Again how is the offense "worse"? Our passing offense is actually better than last years. Numbers wise and our WRs are having much better years. No less Kirk actually spreads the ball around and throws to guys like Treadwell, Robinson, Bebee, etc. Something Keenum did not do. Not having a running game isnt because of Kirk Cousins. Dalvin having a hamstring injury isnt because of Kirk Cousins. The OL being worse than last year isnt because of Kirk Cousins. Kirk Cousins isnt our RB.

Case Keenum also played a schedule of duds last year. Our division consisted of a Rodger-less Packers team, a terrible Bears team and the Lions (who are the same Lions year in and year out). If that was the case this year, Cousins would walk through this division. Just like Keenum did last year. Keenum also had the #1 defense in football out there for him. Something else Cousins didnt get.

This isnt the same team. You say having Richardson and Cook back we should be better. Cook was out most of the year. So what are you proving there? He's played in two full games this year and we've won both (SF, DET). This defense, especially in the beginning of the year when we were 1-2-1, was playing way worse than it ever was last year and we also had terrible ST that cost us a win. Since then, we have gone 4-1.

Kirk Cousins is not making the "team" worse in any way. He cant play defense. He cant kick field goals. It still baffles me that you throw the LA game on Cousins. That is easily one of the most laughable things I've ever heard on this board.

Nobody is blinded by purple sunglasses. It's just everyone can see talent when it's sitting there in front of them. Clearly you have trouble doing that if you think "Teddy Bridgewater and a solid backup" would get this team to a SB. The fact that you think that would be a better solution than Cousins doesnt help your argument in any way, shape or form.

You have yet to give any sort of solution other than "Bridgewater and a solid backup". If that's what you truly think, I really dont know what to tell you other than, you're never going to win this argument on here. Ever. If you think Keenum would have been better, what is happening in Denver should easily tell you that wouldnt be the case. So if you dont think Cousins deserved the money and wasnt the answer, who in gods name do you think would have gotten us to a SB or a "better record" heading into the bye? Ill grab the popcorn and wait for that response If you dont have an answer to that, then you have no argument and this conversation is done.

The offense is bottom ten in points per drive, yards per drive, 21st in red zone efficiency, 19th in 3 and outs and 17th in TDs per drive after being top ten in every category last year. Is that worse to you? Top 10 to bottom 10 is worse, don't you think?

We have played a schedule of duds this year. Are you saying AZ, SF, Buf, and Detroit are great teams? NO has one of the worst defenses in football. LA is below average on D statistically, and GB can't stop anyone. Philly and the Jets are solid though, so there is two good defenses out of 9.

Teddy and a solid backup would have this team in a better position to win long term, because A) Teddy could become a better QB than Cousins (how good was Cousins in his second season again?) and B) even if he didn't, the team around him would be better because he costs a fraction of what Cousins does. It isn't just Teddy and a solid backup versus Cousins, it is Teddy and a solid backup, and Josh Sitton and Anthony Barr and Sheldon Richardson and depth at a number of positions. I could be wrong and Teddy never gets back to the guy who the team was all in on in 2016, but what if he is that same guy? He would be an incredible bargain instead of an incredibly overpriced stat line, so far.

[Pondering Her Percy]

The offense is bottom ten in points per drive, yards per drive, 21st in red zone efficiency, 19th in 3 and outs and 17th in TDs per drive after being top ten in every category last year. Is that worse to you? Top 10 to bottom 10 is worse, don't you think?

And dont you think that having the 7th total rushing offense in the NFL last year compared to the 32nd (for the first four games, 29th now) ranked rushing offense in the league drastically skews those stats? Yeah. Every single one of them. And like I said, Kirk Cousins doesnt run the football.

We have played a schedule of duds this year. Are you saying AZ, SF, Buf, and Detroit are great teams? NO has one of the worst defenses in football. LA is below average on D statistically, and GB can't stop anyone. Philly and the Jets are solid though, so there is two good defenses out of 9.

New Orleans has the #1 run defense in the league. Yeah pass defense is brutal but their defense isnt "one of the worst in football". The Cardinals have the 7th best pass defense in the league. The Lions have the 4th best pass defense. The Bills have the #3 pass defense. Green Bay is 10th. The Rams have been brutal lately but are still 14th (which is better than some think because they are always leading and always getting thrown at). The Cardinals and the Lions are both sitting in the top 5 when it comes to passing yards given up on the year. GB and Buf are sitting in the top 10 in that category. So dont sit there and act like all these pass defense were bad. They are actually very good defenses when it comes to defending the pass.

Teddy and a solid backup would have this team in a better position to win long term, because A) Teddy could become a better QB than Cousins (how good was Cousins in his second season again?) and B) even if he didn't, the team around him would be better because he costs a fraction of what Cousins does. It isn't just Teddy and a solid backup versus Cousins, it is Teddy and a solid backup, and Josh Sitton and Anthony Barr and Sheldon Richardson and depth at a number of positions. I could be wrong and Teddy never gets back to the guy who the team was all in on in 2016, but what if he is that same guy? He would be an incredible bargain instead of an incredibly overpriced stat line, so far.

My god dude.....

Teddy "could" become better than Cousins....based off what? Judging Cousins off of him playing in backup duties isnt a true tell. I look at when QBs actually become the starter. Cousins 2nd year starting was his best season ever nearly passing for 5,000 yards and making the playoffs. Every year Teddy was starting we were bottom 5 in passing yards and rode on the coat tails of Adrian Peterson and a decent defense. He was nearly averaging a 1:1 TD:INT ratio over his first two years of starting. 28 TDs and 21 INTs compared to Cousins having 52 TDs and 25 INTs in his first two years. 5,000 yards compared to 9,000 yards. I mean this isnt even comparable dude. Teddy wasnt a good QB prior to the injury let alone after his injury. He was the epitome of a game manager. If Teddy was legit before going down, that's one thing you have going for you. But he wasnt. At all. He couldnt have been more mediocre.

Not many people want Anthony Barr back. Nor has he been relevant the last few years. So nobody is begging to re-sign him. Find a freak LB in the draft. And Josh Sitton? 1.) he's old and 2.) he lasted 1 game this year and tore his shoulder up. He's literally hurt all the time. He hasnt played a full season since 2015. We need to draft offensive lineman is what we need to do. We have enough money invested in Remmers and Reiff. We can get Sheldon Richardson back with this current cap. Barr can walk for all I care. And we need to draft and OLB and interior OL in the draft.

But again, you trying to defend us passing on Cousins and going for Teddy is just laughable. Nobody is going to buy that. At all. So you're wasting your time and energy defending it.

[9man]

Vikings are 13th in scoring (24.6/game), 6th in total offense (3369 yards).

Captain Kirk - 71.3% completion, 17 TD's (8th most in league), QB rating 102.2 (9th best), leads league with 8 fumbles

Stats courtesy of "Fansided"

Kirk is fine. The Vikings are fine. This argument is dumb.

[StumpHunter]

Vikings are 13th in scoring (24.6/game), 6th in total offense (3369 yards).

Captain Kirk - 71.3% completion, 17 TD's (8th most in league), QB rating 102.2 (9th best), leads league with 8 fumbles

Stats courtesy of "Fansided"

Kirk is fine. The Vikings are fine. This argument is dumb.

There are 3 defensive scores included in that total, but you are right, they are fine and better than the stats indicate. They were great last year though.

Let's hope they get back to great this year, because so far, they haven't looked like a team that can beat the best in the NFL. The defense has gotten back into the top 5 statistically, time for the offense to step up their game.

[YikesVikes]

Yes the guys are replaceable but that eats into available cap and I don't think all are replaceable with like wise talent. Our Safety depth will be worst next season if none are resigned.

I mean we'll still have Kearse who can play back there. Iloka is definitely gone. .He can land a good contract somewhere. Unless we decide to dump Sendejo and keep him but I doubt it. Kearse has turned into Zim's version of Iloka now. Harris would be the one to get back. OL is going to need a re-build for the most part. Especially at the guard position so I would think we draft there. Sherels can come back on a minimum deal. Same with Tom Johnson I would think. Or Jaleel improves along with Holmes and we go that route. Robinson is whatever. Backup QB, we can find someone similar to Siemien. Wile is replaceable. And FB's are a dime a dozen. The main thing is OL. I wouldnt mind keeping a guy like Jones for depth. Hill can walk for all I care. Same with Compton (or at best depth).

I say priorities are as follows for in house guys:

1.) Richardson
2.) Murray
3.) Harris
4.) Bailey
5.) Jones
6.) Johnson
7.) Sherels
8.) Compton, Easton (cant trust him after 2 major injuries), Robinson, Wile, Hill, Ham, Siemien, etc

X.) Iloka only if we let Sendejo walk.

This is far from being on of those years where we will have to let a bunch of studs walk. It shows us with about 10-12 million in cap space (based on spotrac and overthecap) going into next years offseason. This will also be dependent on veterans that we let go. Bryzinski is a cap genius. So I'm not worried. Like I said if we had guys like Hunter, Thielen, Diggs and Cook all up for contracts and were hurting on cap space, then yeah, I'd be worried. But this is more than manageable I think. Especially with Bryzinski. Philly has gone into the past few offseason with under $1 million in cap or even in the negative and still make it work for the most part. It's definitely doable

Where is Barr?

[9man]

Vikings are 13th in scoring (24.6/game), 6th in total offense (3369 yards).

Captain Kirk - 71.3% completion, 17 TD's (8th most in league), QB rating 102.2 (9th best), leads league with 8 fumbles

Stats courtesy of "Fansided"

Kirk is fine. The Vikings are fine. This argument is dumb.

There are 3 defensive scores included in that total, but you are right, they are fine and better than the stats indicate. They were great last year though.

Let's hope they get back to great this year, because so far, they haven't looked like a team that can beat the best in the NFL. The defense has gotten back into the top 5 statistically, time for the offense to step up their game.

You are correct, 3 defensive scores are included in the 24.6/game. Does it matter in the end? That's like saying Kurt Busch's 2017 Daytona 500 win doesn't really count as a win since Kyle Larson ran out of gas and gave Kurt the lead on the last lap.

I don't think the offense has be top 5 statistically to make a run. They need to execute and limit turnovers. I think with this team it's the coaching and play calling that matters most. Losing Coach Sparano has hurt this team more than we may ever know. Flip is relatively inexperienced as a play caller, although he has been doing an excellent job lately.

[Fat Stupid Loser]

Teddy and a solid backup would have this team in a better position to win long term, because A) Teddy could become a better QB than Cousins (how good was Cousins in his second season again?) and B) even if he didn't, the team around him would be better because he costs a fraction of what Cousins does. It isn't just Teddy and a solid backup versus Cousins, it is Teddy and a solid backup, and Josh Sitton and Anthony Barr and Sheldon Richardson and depth at a number of positions. I could be wrong and Teddy never gets back to the guy who the team was all in on in 2016, but what if he is that same guy? He would be an incredible bargain instead of an incredibly overpriced stat line, so far.

Had this debate with many Skins fans. The get a not terrible QB and build everything else on the team stategy. Reality is there is never enough money to build the rest of the team up to that level. Cause Terrell freakin Pryor gets 8M a year. The days of winning it all with Trent Dilfer are long gone. Once every 15 year fluke team. In your scenario, if Teddy got a lot better, guess what? You'll have to pay the man. So you are betting on winning it all in a 2 year window while he is cheaper before his immense talent shows itself and you have to pay Teddy 28M, because as ridiculous as it is, that is what top notch QBs cost.

Wouldn't be surprised to see Kirk restructure if it actually becomes a burden to improving the team.

[StumpHunter]

The offense is bottom ten in points per drive, yards per drive, 21st in red zone efficiency, 19th in 3 and outs and 17th in TDs per drive after being top ten in every category last year. Is that worse to you? Top 10 to bottom 10 is worse, don't you think?

And dont you think that having the 7th total rushing offense in the NFL last year compared to the 32nd (for the first four games, 29th now) ranked rushing offense in the league drastically skews those stats? Yeah. Every single one of them. And like I said, Kirk Cousins doesnt run the football.

We have played a schedule of duds this year. Are you saying AZ, SF, Buf, and Detroit are great teams? NO has one of the worst defenses in football. LA is below average on D statistically, and GB can't stop anyone. Philly and the Jets are solid though, so there is two good defenses out of 9.

New Orleans has the #1 run defense in the league. Yeah pass defense is brutal but their defense isnt "one of the worst in football". The Cardinals have the 7th best pass defense in the league. The Lions have the 4th best pass defense. The Bills have the #3 pass defense. Green Bay is 10th. The Rams have been brutal lately but are still 14th (which is better than some think because they are always leading and always getting thrown at). The Cardinals and the Lions are both sitting in the top 5 when it comes to passing yards given up on the year. GB and Buf are sitting in the top 10 in that category. So dont sit there and act like all these pass defense were bad. They are actually very good defenses when it comes to defending the pass.

Teddy and a solid backup would have this team in a better position to win long term, because A) Teddy could become a better QB than Cousins (how good was Cousins in his second season again?) and B) even if he didn't, the team around him would be better because he costs a fraction of what Cousins does. It isn't just Teddy and a solid backup versus Cousins, it is Teddy and a solid backup, and Josh Sitton and Anthony Barr and Sheldon Richardson and depth at a number of positions. I could be wrong and Teddy never gets back to the guy who the team was all in on in 2016, but what if he is that same guy? He would be an incredible bargain instead of an incredibly overpriced stat line, so far.

My god dude.....

Teddy "could" become better than Cousins....based off what? Judging Cousins off of him playing in backup duties isnt a true tell. I look at when QBs actually become the starter. Cousins 2nd year starting was his best season ever nearly passing for 5,000 yards and making the playoffs. Every year Teddy was starting we were bottom 5 in passing yards and rode on the coat tails of Adrian Peterson and a decent defense. He was nearly averaging a 1:1 TD:INT ratio over his first two years of starting. 28 TDs and 21 INTs compared to Cousins having 52 TDs and 25 INTs in his first two years. 5,000 yards compared to 9,000 yards. I mean this isnt even comparable dude. Teddy wasnt a good QB prior to the injury let alone after his injury. He was the epitome of a game manager. If Teddy was legit before going down, that's one thing you have going for you. But he wasnt. At all. He couldnt have been more mediocre.

Not many people want Anthony Barr back. Nor has he been relevant the last few years. So nobody is begging to re-sign him. Find a freak LB in the draft. And Josh Sitton? 1.) he's old and 2.) he lasted 1 game this year and tore his shoulder up. He's literally hurt all the time. He hasnt played a full season since 2015. We need to draft offensive lineman is what we need to do. We have enough money invested in Remmers and Reiff. We can get Sheldon Richardson back with this current cap. Barr can walk for all I care. And we need to draft and OLB and interior OL in the draft.

But again, you trying to defend us passing on Cousins and going for Teddy is just laughable. Nobody is going to buy that. At all. So you're wasting your time and energy defending it.

The passing yards and passing TDs are a direct result of the poor run game. When teams can't get it done on the ground, they throw short passes to compensate, padding the passing stats. When they can't punch it into the end zone, teams throw in red zone more, leading to the QB throwing more passing TDs. TB and Atlanta are right there with MN in rushing YPG and are 1 and 2 in passing yards. They are also both significantly better on offense, so it is possible to score points without a run game (TB and Atlanta are 11th and 4th in scoring). Harder, but certainly possible.

Yea, the Vikings have faced a murderers row of passing defenses.

[StumpHunter]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Kirk restructure if it actually becomes a burden to improving the team.

Seems unlikely with his history. Ask your skins fans friends about the rumors that Cousins wouldn't sign anything other than a fully guaranteed contract, and that being the real reason the skins couldn't get a deal done with him. I scoffed at those rumors when I heard them...then Cousins signed the first fully guaranteed contract of its kind with the Vikings.

Besides, while there are QBs at the end of their career who have taken less to win a SB, when was the last time a guy in his prime has done so?

[Rhodes Closed]

Wouldn't be surprised to see Kirk restructure if it actually becomes a burden to improving the team.

Seems unlikely with his history. Ask your skins fans friends about the rumors that Cousins wouldn't sign anything other than a fully guaranteed contract, and that being the real reason the skins couldn't get a deal done with him. I scoffed at those rumors when I heard them...then Cousins signed the first fully guaranteed contract of its kind with the Vikings.

Besides, while there are QBs at the end of their career who have taken less to win a SB, when was the last time a guy in his prime has done so?

Steve Young (13.4%) in 1994, Brett Favre (10.2%) in 1996, Peyton Manning (10.4%) in 2006, and Eli Manning (11.7%) in 2011. So... quite recently. Kirk's cap % is 12.61%, or about .81% less than when Steve Young won it. Well within acceptable boundaries, especially when considering Matthew Stafford takes up 14.6% of the Lions' Salary Cap. Drew Brees takes up 13.43%, Flacco takes up 14.06% of the Cap, Russel Wilson is 13.38%, Andrew Luck is 14.64%, Jimmy F'N Garoppolo is taking up a WHOPPING 15.59% for the 49ers.

Cousins's contract hardly hampers the Vikings, if we're being honest.

EDIT: and I completely misread that post.

[The negotiator]

As FSL and VOS could tell you from following Cousins in Washington, the front office was incompetent and arrogant in how they tried to resign him. They could have resigned him in 2015 and 2016 for a team friendly deal had they bargained in good faith. But they outsmarted themselves by lowballing him, then tried to save face by leaking the details of the offer publicly and painting Kirk as the bad guy. It cost them dearly on many fronts. I can’t think of one other quality qb coming into his prime whose contract situation was so mishandled and mired in ill advised egos. The Vikings seem like a class organization and I’m glad he landed here.